Livelihood Strategies and Agricultural Practices in Khonoma …
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thereafter, it is abandoned and kept fallow for 8–10 years so that the alder trees in the
field restores the fertility of the soil by natural process. The roots of alder trees hold
the soil in place, improve the drainage of the soil and, hence, reduce soil erosion.
Moreover, being a fast growing plant, alders provide timber and fodder to the villagers
especially during those fallow years. Conversation with villagers also reveals that a
huge amount of firewood requirement of the households is met from the alder threes
grown in the jhum field particularly during dry seasons. The villagers of Khonoma
have been gainfully making use of alder tree for hundreds of years by mastering the
scientific technique of growing and pollarding the alder tree. Pollarding starts when
young trees are 7–10 years old reaches a height of 10 m and diameter of 70–80 cm,
and the bark becomes rough and fissured. The trees are pollarded at 2 m above the
ground in order to obtain a good sprout and to avoid cattle damage. The subsequent
pollarding is done after approximately 5 years of the first pollarding. The second
phase of pollarding takes place after approximately 5 years of the first pollarding.
During these periods, they allow the coppiced stumps of the trees to grow without
any disturbance till the harvest of the first year’s crop is finished. After the harvesting
is done, alder trees are again flushed down just leaving four to six shoots equally
distributed around the top of the stump head. The shoots are then allowed to grow
till the next jhum cycle and the same process is repeated.
On the other hand, Wet Rice Cultivation or “panikhetis” as it is popularly known
among the Nagas is of two types—Wet Rice Cultivation which is carried out in
rainfed lowland areas. In this method of cultivation, bunds are constructed to divide
the plot into a number of smaller sections. This is done to keep the crops partially
submerged for some parts of the year. Rice is grown followed by wheat, mustard
and cold crops. The crops are sown within the sections and keep well irrigated. The
second type is wet terrace rice cultivation where the crops are planted in terraces built
along the slopes. Rice is the main crop and other crops like wheat, potato, garlic and
cabbage are also grown. Terrace cultivation is permanent and ownership of terrace
fields is strictly individual. Among the Nagas, the Angamis and the Chakhesangs are
well known for their terrace cultivation.
Table 2 gives a brief description of the method of cultivation in the Khonoma
village.
Table 2 indicates that out of the 60 respondents, only 10% of the household are
now practising jhum cultivation, 60% are practising Wet Rice Cultivation and 25%
practise both jhum and Wet Rice Cultivation. However, this was not the picture
of cultivation methods in earlier days in the Khonoma village. As revealed by the
villagers in the group discussion, most of the households in the village used to rely
on jhum cultivation prior to 1970s.
When the villagers were asked why they have shifted to terrace cultivation, most
of them stated that compared to jhum cultivation where they have to work on the
field throughout the year, terrace cultivation requires work only for some specific
months of the year. Secondly, unlike in the jhum cultivation, they do not have to
clear the forest land for cultivation as in Wet Rice Cultivation the plot for cultivation
is permanently settled. Moreover, jhum field is an easy prey of wild animals.
429
thereafter, it is abandoned and kept fallow for 8–10 years so that the alder trees in the
field restores the fertility of the soil by natural process. The roots of alder trees hold
the soil in place, improve the drainage of the soil and, hence, reduce soil erosion.
Moreover, being a fast growing plant, alders provide timber and fodder to the villagers
especially during those fallow years. Conversation with villagers also reveals that a
huge amount of firewood requirement of the households is met from the alder threes
grown in the jhum field particularly during dry seasons. The villagers of Khonoma
have been gainfully making use of alder tree for hundreds of years by mastering the
scientific technique of growing and pollarding the alder tree. Pollarding starts when
young trees are 7–10 years old reaches a height of 10 m and diameter of 70–80 cm,
and the bark becomes rough and fissured. The trees are pollarded at 2 m above the
ground in order to obtain a good sprout and to avoid cattle damage. The subsequent
pollarding is done after approximately 5 years of the first pollarding. The second
phase of pollarding takes place after approximately 5 years of the first pollarding.
During these periods, they allow the coppiced stumps of the trees to grow without
any disturbance till the harvest of the first year’s crop is finished. After the harvesting
is done, alder trees are again flushed down just leaving four to six shoots equally
distributed around the top of the stump head. The shoots are then allowed to grow
till the next jhum cycle and the same process is repeated.
On the other hand, Wet Rice Cultivation or “panikhetis” as it is popularly known
among the Nagas is of two types—Wet Rice Cultivation which is carried out in
rainfed lowland areas. In this method of cultivation, bunds are constructed to divide
the plot into a number of smaller sections. This is done to keep the crops partially
submerged for some parts of the year. Rice is grown followed by wheat, mustard
and cold crops. The crops are sown within the sections and keep well irrigated. The
second type is wet terrace rice cultivation where the crops are planted in terraces built
along the slopes. Rice is the main crop and other crops like wheat, potato, garlic and
cabbage are also grown. Terrace cultivation is permanent and ownership of terrace
fields is strictly individual. Among the Nagas, the Angamis and the Chakhesangs are
well known for their terrace cultivation.
Table 2 gives a brief description of the method of cultivation in the Khonoma
village.
Table 2 indicates that out of the 60 respondents, only 10% of the household are
now practising jhum cultivation, 60% are practising Wet Rice Cultivation and 25%
practise both jhum and Wet Rice Cultivation. However, this was not the picture
of cultivation methods in earlier days in the Khonoma village. As revealed by the
villagers in the group discussion, most of the households in the village used to rely
on jhum cultivation prior to 1970s.
When the villagers were asked why they have shifted to terrace cultivation, most
of them stated that compared to jhum cultivation where they have to work on the
field throughout the year, terrace cultivation requires work only for some specific
months of the year. Secondly, unlike in the jhum cultivation, they do not have to
clear the forest land for cultivation as in Wet Rice Cultivation the plot for cultivation
is permanently settled. Moreover, jhum field is an easy prey of wild animals.